756 



SCIENCE 



[X. S. Vol. XXVII. No. 697 



hoped that he may be encouraged to continue 

 this admirable series. It is particularly 

 creditable to American botany. 



SHORT NOTES ON BOTANICAL PAPERS 



Dr. p. a. Kydberg's " Scandinavians who 

 have contributed to the Knowledge of the 

 Flora of North America" (Augustana Col- 

 lege Library Publications, No. YT.) is a 

 valuable contribution to the history of botany 

 in this country. This comes quite opportunely 

 at this time when there is a distinct revival 

 of interest in everything pertaining to the 

 history of botany, due no doubt to the cele- 

 bration last year of the two-hundredth anni- 

 versary of the birth of Linne. In treating the 

 subject Dr. Eydberg recognizes eight historical 

 periods, viz.: the Medican (a.d. 1478-1601) 

 in which there were no Scandinavian con- 

 tributors to the flora of North America; the 

 Bauhinian (1601-1694) again with no con- 

 tributors ; the Tournefortian (1694^1735) with 

 two contributors; the Linnean (1735-1789) 

 with eleven Scandinavian contributors; the 

 Jussieuan (1789-1819) with eight; the Can- 

 dollean (1819-1840) with twelve ; the Hooker- 

 ian (1840-1889) with forty-three; the Engler- 

 ian (1889-) with thirty-two. These botan- 

 ists, of whom there were one hundred 

 and eight, are divided by nationality as fol- 

 lows : Danes, 51 ; Swedes, 43 ; Norwegians, 9 ; 

 Finns, 5. Short biographies are given of 

 each, with lists of their principal works bear- 

 ing on the flora of North America. 



The Annual Report of the Director of 

 Botanical Research in the Carnegie Institu- 

 tion (Dr. D. T. MacDougal) for 1907 con- 

 tains', brief accounts of the lines of work 

 carried on during the year. Among the titles 

 are " The Advance and Recession of Vegeta- 

 tion in the depressed Basins of the Colorado 

 Delta," " Acclimatization," " Distribution and 

 Movements of Desert Plants," " The Topog- 

 raphy of Chlorophyll Apparatus," " Phys- 

 iology of Stomata," " Evaporation and Plant 

 Distribution," " The Relation of Evaporation 

 to Plant Activity." An automatic rainmeter 

 is described, and mention is made of the 

 explorations and field work undertaken, the 

 studies of desert conditions, bibliographical 



and cooperative work, equipment, etc., and the 

 report closes with a list of the laboratory pub- 

 lications of the year, including thirteen titles. 

 This work was provided for by a grant of 

 $25,000, and was practically all done at the 

 Desert Laboratory at Tucson, Arizona. The 

 report includes a map of the Colorado River 

 delta, a half-tone view of the laboratory, and 

 two views of portions of the Salton Sea. 

 Every botanist will be glad to note that the 

 work undertaken is of the highest scientific 

 value, and the trustees of the institution are 

 to be congratulated upon their selection of 

 so able a director of the botanical work. 



The United States National Herbarium has 

 begun the publication of a series of papers 

 by Mr. William R. Maxon under the title of 

 " Studies of Tropical American Ferns," the 

 first of which has just appeared as part 7 of 

 volume X. of the " Contributions " from the 

 Herbarium. This part is pretty largely taken 

 up with attempts of the author to bring order 

 out of the confusion into which many of the 

 species have fallen. One new genus, a new 

 name for another genus and several new 

 species are the additions proposed in this part. 

 Two good plates illustrate some of these addi- 

 tions. The continuation of this series will be 

 watched with interest by fern students every- 

 where. 



The closing number (December, 1907) of 

 the Philippine Journal of Science (Botany) 

 contains notes on an early collection of 

 ferns, a revision of Tectaria (by E. B. Cope- 

 land), descriptions of two new grasses (by E. 

 Hackel), some additions to the flora, further 

 identifications of some of Blanco's species, and 

 further titles for the index of Philippine 

 botanical literature (by E. D. Merrill). 



Another part (vol. 9, part 2) of the North 

 American Flora has come to hand, completing 

 the 'EaxmXy Polyporaceae (by M. A. Murrill). 

 Part 1, which appeared in December, 1907, 

 covered the first half of this family, and in- 

 cluded the key to the tribes and genera, and 

 descriptions of the genera and species from 

 Hydnoporia (No. 13) to Laetiporia (No. 46), 

 while this part begins with Phaeolopsis (No. 

 47) and closes with Cycloporus (No. 78). An 



